Paul Volpe
Thesis Proposal
June 26, 2002
Digging Clinton’s Ditch: The political, social and economic impact of the Erie Canal
on 19th century America and westward expansion
In the first decades of the 19th century, America was expanding, both culturally and
territorially. Beyond war and territorial acquisition, the federal government’s chief
concern was the initiation of internal improvements that would facilitate the development
of international trade and the settlement of the western frontier. In the discussion of
American expansion, much of the focus has historically centered on the Louisiana
Purchase and the opening of the west that would be achieved by crossing the Mississippi
River. But before the United States could achieve its Manifest Destiny, it needed to open
the territory then known as the Old Northwest—what most considered the “frontier” at
this time is what we now know as western New York. The West (what is now the
Midwest) held unlimited potential for agriculture and control of the Great Lakes would
open new frontiers and provide abundant opportunities for international trade. In the first
quarter of the 19th century, as the inchoate nation sought to assert its power and conquer
the West, New York State was developing and implementing an instrument that would
make all of this possible. Without federal assistance and lacking the experience and
training to achieve such a feat, New Yorkers built the longest canal in the world in the
least amount of time, erected cities from the ground up in the western part of the state,
opened the Northwest Territory to trade and emigration, helped establish a metropolis
that would become the world’s most dominant commercial center and influenced the fate
of a nation.
An examination of the impact of the Erie Canal can be divided into three parts:
The first section will focus on the political and structural history and of the Erie Canal
within the framework of national affairs. The construction of the Erie Canal would affect
state and national politics for a half century and the canal was an important component of
national expansion. Additionally, as there was no formal training in the U.S. in the field
of engineering, building the canal would act as a school to develop engineers who would
later construct the workings of a national transportation system that would include
railroads, canals, roads and bridges.
The second part of this project will explore the social and cultural history of the canal,
using music and folklore as narrative tools to provide insight into the society of
individuals that constructed and traversed the Grand Western Canal.
The third section will examine the canal in the context of American expansion during the
antebellum period. Using the economics of the canal and exploring the impact it would
have on the Old Northwest (opening it to emigration and trade) as well as New York
itself (building cities and towns in the western part of the state and establishing New
York City as the primary port on the Atlantic) this site will demonstrate that the Erie
Canal was one of the most significant developments in our national history.
The Erie Canal itself was, above all, a physical representation of American ideals and a
tangible symbol of the national philosophy. Relying solely on innovation, hard work and
determination, New Yorkers dug a ditch that would serve the national interest in both the
short and long term. This thesis will provide insight into the attitude and outlook of a
nation at what is perhaps the most crucial point in its history.